etc...

thanks for your honesty

For months, members of the Dane Street Congregational Church in Beverly, Mass., had been trying to get rid of what they thought was an empty safe. They put it in a rummage sale, then just left it on the sidewalk. But they didn't know the church's silverware - worth $25,000 - was still inside. Finally, local artist Greg Skochko, who took the safe to use in a sculpture, discovered its contents: goblets, a platter, and a tankard, which he returned because it "was the right thing to do." Pastor Brian Miller was grateful, telling reporters, "It's not like he didn't need the money."

A habitual traffic offender expressed anger over his latest infraction by hauling 105,000 pennies into a Port St. Lucie, Fla., courtroom. James Lundy III had been fined $1,050 for going 53 m.p.h. in a 35 m.p.h. zone and having expired tags. Lundy complained he'd been unfairly treated, saying a deputy sheriff had asked too many questions and "put handcuffs on me real tight." The city's traffic division may not refuse payment in pennies.

Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota Motor Corp., scored highest for the seventh straight year in a J.D. Power & Associates study that examines the durability of vehicles after four or five years of ownership. It's based on a poll of 40,000 owners and lessees of 1997 model cars and trucks. Lexus had 1.73 problems per vehicle, compared with an industry average of 3.82. The 1997 models that experienced the fewest problems, according to J.D. Power, and the average number of problems per vehicle:

1. Lexus 1.73

2. Infiniti 2.19

3. Jaguar 2.50

4. Lincoln 2.53

5. Acura 2.55

6. Honda 2.78

(tie) Toyota 2.78

8. Cadillac 2.85

9. Porsche 2.92

10. Mercedes-Benz 2.96

- Associated Press